Means for warming material while in transit.



N0. 834,944.- PATENTED NOV. 6, 1906.

I S.G.STEVBNS. 4 MEANS FOR WARMING MATERIAL WHILE IN TRANSIT.

APILIOATION FILED DEC. 12, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

,gj's'YLvEsjTEIR'eno, STEVENS, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTAQ, 1. ms ids;EoRfwAFiivimeMATE I H E RANSIT. H

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

Application filed December 12, 1905. Serial No. 291,444.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SYLvEsTERGEoRGE STEVENS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin al Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and tate of Minne ota, have invented certain new and useful mpro vements in Means for Warming Granular Material While in Transit, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to themcompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in means for warming granular material while in transit.

The object of my invention is to provide means for heating material while in transit, and is more es ec'ially applied to ore-cars for the heating 0? the ore and preventing the same from freezing, and thus allowing of the ready dumping of the ore from the car when the destination of the car is reached. This prevents the necessity of thawing out the ore after the car is stopped, thus delaying thedumping of the cars.

Another object of my present invention is to so-construct a means whereby the heating means may be either connected to the boiler or may be connected to the exhaust of the engine, and when the latter is used it will be seen that a saving in fuel is accomplished.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a hopper-car commonly used in the transportation of granular material and showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of two cars similar to that shown in Fig. 1, showing the relative position of the invention and also the coupling of the steam-pipes between the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the heating-pipes removed.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 re resents the ordinary car having the hopper ottom 2 therein and provided at its lower end with the usual vertical neck portion 3 and said neck portion provided at its lower end with the sliding gates 4, which is fully under: stood and needs no further description.

The bottom 4 of the car surrounding the neck 3 is provided with a steam-pipe 5, which is provided with any desired number of inwardly laterally extending connections 6, which may be placed any desired distance apart, according to the number of connections used. The said connections, as shown and described, extend inwardly through the neck 3 of the hopper and have their free ends 7 in communicatlon with the hopper, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The said connections, as shown, not only extend inward and communicate with the neck of the hopper at the sides, but also at the ends. The said pipe 5 has connected thereto the i es 8 at each end and which have connected tfiereto the flexible pipes 9, which carry the couplings 10, by means of which the' flexible pipes are connected for coupling the steampipes together for connecting the several cars composing the train up with the heating system.

From the fore oing description it will be seen that when tie hoppers of the numerous cars are filled with ore and the train started on its journey the flexible pipe '9 of the front car is connected to a pipe carried by the tender of the engine, and said pi es are either connected to the boiler or to t e exhaust of the engine, the latter being preferable, as it saves steam and necessarily fuel. as will be clearly seen, passes into-the pipes 5 and through the connections 6 and out throu h the open ends 7 directly to the ore or granu ar material in the hop er, and thus prevents the same from eezing. The steam simultaneously passes into the entire train of cars and has the same effect thereon. Thus when the train has reached its destina- 'tion the material therein canbe readily dumped from the cars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. A car-for carrying granular mater al,

The steam,

comprising a line of heating-pipes carried by pipe communicating with the lowermost por-.

tion of said carrying-space and also with the steam-supply of the locomotive.

4. A car for carrying granular material, comprising a hopper-shaped body having a relatively short vertical neck, said neck portion being surrounded with heating means.

5. The combination with a hopper-bottom car, of steam-supply pipes surroundmg the ody and communihopper.

6. The combination with a hopper-bottom car, of steam-supply pipes adjacent the hopper and branch pipes in communication with the steam-supply pipes, and having their oposite ends in direct communication with the owermost portion of the interior of the hop- 7. The combinationwith a hopper-bottom car, of steam-supply pi es carried by the car and surrounding the iopper, and branch pipes in communication with the steam-supply pipes and extending through the sides of the hopper and in direct communication with the interior of the hopper.

8. The combination with a car, having a hopper bottom and a relatively short vertica neck, of steam-supply pipes carried by the car and surrounding the neck, and branch pipes in communication with the steam-supply pipes, and extending through the sides of the neck and having open ends indirect communication with the interior of the hopper.

9. The combination with a hopper-bottom car, of a steam-supply pipe carried by the car and surrounding the hopper, branch pipes in communication with the steam-sup ly pipe and flexible ipes connected to t e pipes surroundin t e hopper and having couplings carried by t eir outer ends whereby the pipes are connected to supply-pipes from the engme.

10. The combination with a hopper-bottom car having a relatively short vertical neck, of steam-supply pipes carried by the car and surrounding the neck of the hopper, and branch pipes in communication wit 1 the steam-su ply pipe and extending through the neck of t e hopper, and in direct communication with the interior of the hopper.

11. The combination with a box-like ear having a hopper bottom forming an air-space surrounding the said hopper bottom, of a steam-supply pipe carried by the car within the air-space, and surrounding the hopper, branch pipes in communication with the steam-su ply pipe and in communication with the lnterior of the hopper.

12. The combination with a hopper-bottom car having a neck at its lower end, of a steam-supply pipe carried by the car and surrounding the hop er, branch pi es in communication with t 1e steam-supp y pipes and extending through the neck and in communication with the interior of the hopper, and flexible pipes connected to the pipes surrounding the hopper and having couplings carried by their outer ends whereby the pipes are connected to the supply-pipes from the engine.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SYLVESTER GEO. STEVENS.

Witnesses:

DONALD MOLENNAN, MICHAEL F. CHALK. 

